3. First Steps
Scootaloo came to slowly. Rolling over a bit, she was rather surprised to discover that the pain she expected from what the pool of shadow did to her wasn't there. Opening her eyes, she saw she was surrounded by a floating green light that swirled in the air. Putting her hoof to it, she discovered she could pass through it easily, but the air beyond the light felt subtly different from the air inside. Since she didn't quite feel up to full strength, she sat down in the light, looking around for Riku.
It wasn't long before he returned, looking somewhat battered. "What happened to you?" she asked, shocked.
He shrugged. "I was out searching for Gummy Blocks. Ran into some of the larger Heartless. No biggie." He stepped into the light.
Scootaloo stared, fascinated, as the light seemed to focus on his injuries, healing them within moments. "What the hay?" she said, shocked.
Riku smiled. "This is a Safe Point. I never got an understandable explanation for why they work the way they do, but anyone who stands within one is fully reenergized and has all their wounds healed. Also, neither Heartless nor Nobodies can approach a Safe Point. They also act as launch points for Gummy Ships."
Scootaloo stared at the light, wide eyed. "Wow. That's...pretty cool. Sounds kinda like a save point from a video game."
"Video game?" Riku asked, confused.
Scootaloo was quiet for a bit. "...never mind." She looked back up at him. "So...did you find Gummy Blocks?"
Smiling, Riku spilled out a bag of brightly colored blocks of various shapes and size, looking not unlike the pieces of a model kit.
Scootaloo stared at them. "It's going to take forever for us to find enough to build a ship..."
"Not really," Riku replied, picking one of them up. "This is the cockpit."
Scootaloo stared at him like he was crazy. "How the hay are we supposed to fit in there?"
"When a completed Gummy Ship is placed inside a Safe Point and activated, it expands into a full sized ship."
"Really?" Scootaloo looked down at the blocks. "So...we put together a model ship, and then it expands into a full sized one? Neat." Her voice was completely flat, indicating she didn't really believe it.
Riku smiled. "You'll see." He reached amongst the pile. "Now, there are a few things to know about working with these-"
"Done."
Riku looked up, blinking. In Scootaloo's outstretched hooves was what looked like a small pony made of blocks. The cockpit was in the head, the raised dome covered with rainbow colored spoiler blocks. There were wings extended out to the sides, which on closer examination turned out to be three different kinds of Weapon Gummies. The main body and legs seemed to be made of Draw and Shield Gummies, while the engine was at the tail, also colored rainbow colors. The entire body had been colored cyan, except for two laser gummies in the face colored magenta.
"I wanted to make it bigger," Scootaloo admitted, "but it felt like it was getting too heavy."
Riku picked up the ship carefully, examining it. "How did you know what different types of blocks to use?"
"The blocks have different types?" Scootaloo asked, confused. "I just used whatever was the right shape for the look. Wanted to make her as awesome as she really is...was..." Scootaloo looked down, sighing.
Riku noticed the change and took a closer look at the construction. "Rainbow Dash, I presume?"
Scootaloo looked up, shocked. "How'd you know? I never described what she looked like!"
Riku stared at the rainbow colors on the head and tail of the ship, wondering if Scootaloo could really be that dense. "Lucky guess," he said at last. "So, now that we've built a ship, we can use it to leave here."
Scootaloo stared at the ship for a time, then turned away sadly. "What's the point?" she asked. "Everypony I knew and loved is dead. My whole world is gone. Maybe...maybe I should just stay here..."
Riku looked down at Scootaloo. Obviously, she hadn't been looking for adventure as he and Sora had when this had happened to them. She also had no reason to believe anyone from her own world had survived its destruction. And, from what he'd interpreted of what she'd told him so far, this had all happened just as she'd found a home, family, and place to belong, when she'd been lacking in all three for a very long time. It wasn't really surprising she didn't have the motivation to follow the Keyblade and try and save all of reality. She'd already lost the part of reality that mattered to her. And unlike Sora, she didn't have Donald and Goofy there to cheer her up and egg her on. She had him, and he was lost with human kids, let alone...whatever she was.
A thought occurred to him. "You know, the darkness claimed my world, too."
Scootaloo looked up. "It did? But...how come you can be so calm about it?"
Riku smiled. "Because when my friends and I defeated the darkness, our world came back. There's a good chance that, when you defeat the darkness, your world will come back, too. Along with everyone in it."
"R-really?" Scootaloo asked, hope daring to shine in her eyes.
Riku nodded. "Really. I'd be willing to bet that's why the Keyblade came to you."
"But..." Scootaloo hung her head. "It didn't come to me. It came to Twilight..."
Riku shook his head. "It's not about who finds the Keyblade, it's about who the Keyblade obeys. They only respond to those with the strongest hearts. ...King Mickey once speculated that that was the Keyblade's true nature, the power of the heart given form."
Scootaloo perked up. "Like my dream? The voice said that a great power had chosen me, but that the power had to be given form!"
Riku nodded. "Could be. So, if you use the Keyblade, you can save your world...and many others."
Grinning, Scootaloo got to her hooves. About to call the Keyblade, she hesitated. "But...but I don't know if I can..." She sat down. "I mean, I've failed at everything I've tried to do in the past. My friends and I have been trying to earn our Cutie Marks for over a year, and we're still Blank Flanks. This is too important, I can't risk failing...what do I do..." Scootaloo hung her head, tears starting to form. "Rainbow..." she whispered.
Riku looked down at her for a time, sighing. Then he brightened as an idea struck him. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a piece of yarn and some letter blocks, stringing five of them onto it. He then tied it around Scootaloo's front right hoof. "There."
Scootaloo read the letters. "WWRDD?"
"What would Rainbow Dash Do," Riku said calmly. "If you feel lost or doubt yourself, just look at that and ask yourself. In your place, what would your big sister do?"
Scootaloo stared at it for a time, then nodded. "She'd fight. She wouldn't hesitate, or doubt herself. It wouldn't matter if she would succeed, or even if she could. If she was the only one who could save her friends, she would charge in without thought and get the job done."
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Scootaloo got 'Inspiration Bangle'.
Atk + 1
Skills: Second Chance, survive lethal hit on one HP
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Riku smiled. "Well, there you have it."
Scootaloo nodded firmly. "Yeah!" Gritting her teeth, she brought out her Keyblade and knocked the gummy ship into the Safe Point.
"Umm...that's not how you're supposed to-"
With a flash of light, the ship expanded to full size and the cockpit opened. "AWESOME!" Scootaloo leaped into the cockpit.
Riku blinked. "Okay...I guess she plays by a slightly different rule set." He climbed in after her.
As the cockpit shut, Scootaloo was examining the controls. "So, how do I make this thing fly?"
"Well," Riku began, "there are a few things you need to do first-"
"Oh, here it is!" Scootaloo slammed her hoof down on the button labeled 'Launch.' The ship took off into the sky.
The force of the launch flattened Riku against the back of the cockpit. "Wait! You forgot to turn on the inertial dampeners!"
"But I don't need a bath!" Scootaloo cried from the pilot's seat, grabbing the controls. "So this is how I steer, right?" She twisted the controls into a hard right.
Riku put a hand to his stomach as he was slammed against the side of the cockpit. "I think I'm going to be sick..." he mumbled.
"WAH!" Scootaloo called out. "There's a giant Heartless ahead! What do I-" There was the sound of weapons fire, followed by loud explosions. "Sweet! This things got guns!"
From then on, Riku clung to one of the seats - which was apparently designed for ponies like Scootaloo - while keeping his eyes shut, his ears assailed by the sounds of gunfire even as his insides were constantly twisted into knots by the g-forces of the sudden turns and other maneuvers the Gummy Ship underwent at hyper-sonic velocities through the void between dimensions.
"Say Riku," Scootaloo asked after a while, "looks like there's a world coming up. How do I land this thing?"
"Ughh..." Riku groaned in response.
"Okay, guess I'll wing it." Scootaloo looked around at the controls. "Hmm, let's see...'Landing Tu...tutu rail?' Why would I want to do ballet on a train? Hmm...lasers, bombs, rapid fire...maybe it's this one?" She pushed a button labeled 'Do not press.'
With a jolting lurch, the ship sped for the surface of the world.